THE POTTERS ART. 



pottery was called CHINA, from the place of its production, but 

 on the Continent it was distinguished from the coarser sorts of 

 pottery by the name porcelain; the origin of which is not 

 certain, but which is supposed to be derived from the Portuguese 

 word POBCELLANA (a drinking cup). 



Although the art of fabricating porcelain was thus late in 

 reaching Europe, it extended from China to other adjacent parts 

 of Asia, and especially to Japan, and even to Persia, at a much 

 earlier period. 



5. The paste of which the oriental porcelain is composed is 

 generally deficient in pure whiteness, having rather a grayish, 

 hue, while the glaze which covers it is greenish. It is hard, 

 brittle, and stands the fire only with many precautions. It is 

 not as translucent as the fine porcelain manufactured in France 

 and Germany. 



That in its unbaked state it possesses the quality of plasticity 

 in an extraordinary degree is rendered manifest by various 

 circumstances. The process of the fabrication is one to which 

 no material but the most plastic could lend itself. It is also 

 proved by the enormous magnitude of the vases which are fabri- 

 cated in a single piece, free from those defects which would be 

 inevitable with a material not possessing that quality in the 

 highest degree. 



Without being as fusible as the paste of which the tender por- 

 celain is formed, it is less infusible than that of the hard 

 European porcelain. A cup of Chinese porcelain was softened and 

 distorted in one of the Sevres ovens. 



6. The forms given to the Chinese porcelain are remarkable for 

 their perfection, even in the case of articles presenting the greatest 

 difficulties and delicacies. The pieces, although large, are frequently 

 not thicker than an egg shell. Open cylindrical vases eight or 

 nine inches in height are proportionally delicate ; plates decorated 

 with ornaments in relief, are remarkable for their lightness and 

 evenness of surface ; and as to magnitude, the vases made in a 

 single piece are sometimes fifty-four inches high and twenty-two 

 inches diameter. A vase of these dimensions is in the possession of 

 M. Cambaceres, remarkable for the magnificence of its ornamenta- 

 tion in relief, and its dragon-formed handles. 



7. Among the pieces of Chinese porcelain most memorable for 

 magnitude, is the celebrated pagoda of Nankin in the province of 

 Kiang-Ming, the height of which is 213 feet. This structure 

 consists of nine stages, the walls of each of which are covered 

 with plates of coarse porcelain. Two models of this, on a small 

 scale, may be seen in the Imperial (Royal) Library at Paris. 



8. One of the most characteristic forms of the Chinese vases is 

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